Omaha daily bee., 1887-12-28
THE STRIKE DECLARED OFF.
Traffic Once More Resumed on the
Reading Road.
FURTHER TROUBLE THREATENED
Pottsville Employees Find Their Places
Filled and Appeal to Other AS.
semblies to Stand by Them
-Pitiful Scenes.
Arbitrating the Reading Strike.

Arbitrating the Reading strike.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 2T.-The executive
committee of the Reading railroad employees
assembled early this morning and after Sc
cret session decided to lift the great strike
on the Reading system, pending arbitration
with the company. The five crews over
whom the trouble originated are to be sup
ported in the meantime by financial aid from
the employees. This decision was reached
after conference with Superintendent
Sweigart. All trains are moving on the
Reading railroad this morning and no further
trouble is anticipated. Nearly all employees
reported for duty promptly at this morning
at the various depots and freight yards
as well as those employed at the coal
wharveS at Port Richmond. The work of
moving coal trains and transferring coal
from the cars to vessels at the wharf was at
once begun, and there was very little evil
dence of the great strike which for the past
few days has threatened to paralyze the bust
| ness of the entire Reading railway system.
Quite number of employees in the various
branches failed to report, but officials state
these have perhaps been celebrating Christ
mas too enthusiastically, and that their places
| will be kept open for them few days.
Before daylight members of every Knight
| of Labor assembly in the Reading railroad
| territory was notified to go to work. The
| Philadelphia & Reading headquarters here
| presented an animated scene. Hundreds of
! non-unon men were on hand eagerly wait
ing to be called by the Reading officials in
| case their services should be wanted. Among
| the number were men who belonged to
| the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers,
but who had lost their positions in the dis
| astrous strike of 1877 and who are at present
engaged in other industries. They, too, were
| waiting summons, but their services were
not needed.
General Superintendent Sweigart said this
| mOrpinu that the Statamppt that no had
| agreed with the knights of Labor to submit
questions in dispute to arbitration
was incorrect. He said that last
emgoyes of 1e cssS s h
office, and he talked with them briefly re-
| garding the threatened strike. He says no
agreement was. proposed, either by the com
mittee or by him. and that the committee
| left when he informed them he would hold
no conversation regarding the discharged
men. These men, he said, will never again
| be employed by the company. ..t,.
General Manager Mcleod, of the Phila-
| delphia Il Reading railroad company, this
| afternoon made the following public an
| nouncement: 'The report that the Reading
| company had agreed to arbitrate with its
| striking employees is absolutely false. There
is nothing to discuss, much less arbitrate.
| The men discharged were not and will not be
| taken back. The new men employed when
the old men went out will not be discharged
| to make room for old ones and all the latter
| nave DeeH IIdJ IL Uncy ueSlTc 10 re-
turn to their places they must return
to work imm ediately and uncondition
| ally and all have returned, under that order,
| so far as places were left for them. Besides,
| the leaders at Port Richmond who brought
| on the strike, have been discharged and will
! not be allowed again in the company's ser
vice."
A circular was issued from the general
| Office of the Reading company this afternoon
| addressed to General Manager Mcleod
| setting forth that the strike has developed
| the fact that many "old and faithful en-
| ployes have been compelled by others to join
| the organization known as the Knights of
| Labor The circular further says: "While
the Reading railroad company has never OBJ
| jected to its employees voluntarily connecting
| themselves with any labor organization they
| may see fit to join, it will protect them at
| any cost from being forced into any union
| where their own wish would be to remain
| free, and any employe guilty of using any
undue or improper influence to force men to
| join any society agair st their free will will,
| upon proof furnished, be instantly dismissed
| from the service and never allowed to return
| to it.'
There was great excitement at the head
| quarters of the executive committee when
| the statement of President Corbin become
public. Messages were sent to the different
assemblies at once to consider the matter.
| The knights and the brotherhood.
READING, Pa, Dec. 27.-The strike has
| developed the existance of an unpleasant
| sentiment between the Knights Of Labor and
| Brotherhood of Locomotive engineers. The
| latter, it is reliably stated, offered to furnish
all the men that might be needed to take out
trains. There are 115 engineers in the vi
| cinity, all Brotherhood men, who were dis
charged by the former president of the
Reading road, Franklin b. Gowen. Their
| places were taken by non-union men, who
now belong to the knights of Labor. The
latter were then known as the "subs" and
for long time there was bitter feelings in
communities against them. The families
| who suffered and their sympathisers, have
never forgiven the men who took the places
of the Brotherhood Engineers. All en-
| gineers employed on the Reading road prior
| to trouble of 1877 are being heard from.
| They deserve to return.
So promptly were coal cars taken on to
Port Richmond and unloaded that tonight
the first empts coal trains passed through
| Reading bound for the coal regions.
The most exciting scenes of the strike were
| witnessed this afternoon when about twenty
| five old brotherhood engineers who We're
| obliged to leave the company's employ in 1887
| were given engines and permanent positions.
| Their took the places of engineers who either
| failed to report because they live too far
| away or had refused to take their engines,
| and were peremptorily discharged. Every
| WIN ilaui uuTIiiS tnc i'iSt Wcch, 'cluScu
| TO obey orders or had left his post because of
knights of Labor orders, We're refused en-
ployment. There were quite large number
| of these and some of the appeals to get back
| were piiiful to behold. Non-union men,
ready to take the strikers places filled Read
ing today, from neighboring towns, by
| hundreds.
Locked Out.
| PoTTsvuLE, Pa, Dec. 27-From some
| cause the order to the Reading strikers at
this point to return to work did uot reach
here until the middle of the forenoon and
when the crews belonging to the Palo Alto
terminus reported for duty, they found that
several trains had been sent out with new
crews, and then We're informed that, under
| the orders of Manager Mcleod, they could
not be taken on. meeting of Assembly
1859 was called the assembly was declared
| locked out, Port Richmond assembly was
called on to stand by them, and an
] appeal was made to Superintendent
| Weigard to countermand the action of the
Palo Alto dispatcher. The committee re-
turned to this city this evening and re-
ported THAI Superintendent SWeizard had in